Parents of autistic children push for better healthcare coverage

Tuesday

Mar 31, 2009 at 12:01 AMMar 31, 2009 at 2:28 PM

April is Autism Awareness Month, and Harrison is hoping state lawmakers pass the Autism Insurance Reform Bill, which would require private healthcare policies to provide coverage of the diagnosis and continuing treatment of autism spectrum disorders. April also marks the release of a new book, “Raindrops on Roman” written by Elizabeth Scott who retrained her son Roman’s autistic brain

Kelly Onanian

Every morning before the school bus arrives, Charis Harrison, 8, makes sure he has enough time to play catch with his father, Daniel Harrison.

It is a routine Charis created for himself. While simple, it’s an achievement for Charis, who is autistic.

Charis, of Wareham, was diagnosed with autism when he was 20 months old, and has since made great strides in overcoming challenges related to the disability.

But Charis’ parents, like many parents of autistic children, say he would be doing even better if he received the level of services that were cut off when he turned three years old.

“In general, Charis has made progress, but I look back and can be regretful that I didn’t fight sooner when it was harder to get the services he needed. Developmentally, at ages 3 and 4, it’s much easier to train the brain than when a child with autism reaches his age,” said Charis’ mother, Tiffany Harrison.

April is Autism Awareness Month, and Harrison is hoping state lawmakers pass the Autism Insurance Reform Bill, which would require private healthcare policies to provide coverage of the diagnosis and continuing treatment of autism spectrum disorders.

April also marks the release of a new book, “Raindrops on Roman” written by Elizabeth Scott who retrained her son, Roman’s, autistic brain by incorporating 78 “skills and drills” into his daily routine, curing him by the age of 4.

Autism is a disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills.

In 2007, the Center for Disease control estimated one in 150 children is diagnosed with autism. The disease can be overcome through applied behavioral analysis (ABA), sensory integration, speech, social skills and physical and occupational therapies.

Under federal law, children with autism are entitled to these services through Early Intervention, but the program is only offered from birth to age 3, leaving families like the Harrisons in a lurch when they cannot afford to pay the overwhelming costs of one-on-one care.

“Once he turned 3, it just stopped. It was like a shock. Our insurance was willing to provide speech and occupational therapy to an extent, but Charis really needed ABA and more speech hours. There’s a big gap in what services experts recommend and what school districts provide,” Tiffany Harrison said.

Sen. Marc Pacheco, co-sponsor of the Autism Insurance Reform Bill, said it’s time for the state to take action.

“I’ve met dozens upon dozens of very caring families with wonderful, beautiful children challenged with autism and the stresses put on them are enough, not to mention the burden of expenses,” Pacheco said. “We need to ensure optimum treatments, whether pharmaceutical, psychiatric or therapeutic are available to these children, especially for the very young when it is crucial.”

Karen Oliveira, a special education teacher at Minot Forest Elementary School in Wareham who works with five autistic students, said the bill “should’ve come a long time ago.”

“Insurance needs to cover services as soon as a child is diagnosed, or even before they’re officially diagnosed because it will only help us in the long run enable these kids to do better as adults. People don’t understand how important this is. Pretty soon everybody will know somebody on the autism spectrum,” she said.

Nicole Allen of Wareham said the Autism Insurance Reform Bill would not only help her autistic son, Logan, 7, but her entire family.

“If we had someone come to our home just a couple hours a day and work with Logan, it would be life changing for our entire family. We also worry about Logan getting diabetes because he’s a compulsive eater as a result of his autism. Everyone else in my family needs to be treated for something that could easily be fixed with someone helping Logan,” she said.

The Enterprise

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